Letterman Goes to Laguna
Sept. 10, 1996

David Letterman was in Monterey at the Laguna Seca race course this past Sunday to cheer on the Indy Car team he co-owns featuring drivers Bobby Rahal and Bryan Herta.

Team Rahal is co-owned by Bobby Rahal. David was a good luck charm ... well, kind of. Bryan Herta was leading the race when Alex Zanardi passed him on the last lap. I spoke with David at the race and he says he got involved with racing because he's loved it all his life.

And why Team Rahal? He says Bobby is a friend of his, and when the opportunity came along, they put it together, and he said he couldn't be happier for the association.

He also said he was heartsick about the team's last-lap loss. David said being a team co-owner is easy; all he has to do is stand-up and stay out of the way. When I asked David why he became a team owner instead of being a driver, he replied "I'm not as dumb as I look".

The Other Side of John McEnroe

There is not only a very competitive side to John McEnroe but a very creative side, as well. He is an art dealer and the owner of The John McEnroe Gallery in the SoHo section of New York City. The gallery has a major exhibition called "The Meaning is the Message: The Art of Philip Guston, Bill Traylor, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Gary Komarin" which opens Sept. 13.

John began collecting art when he was 17. He started with "Impressionist stuff" and now he is into contemporary art, according to Wasquas Wajahat, associate director of The John McEnroe Gallery. Not only does John love art but he loves music, too.

The John McEnroe Band (what a creative name) has a CD coming out shortly. I'll keep you posted.

Arsenio Is Back In The House Doing Highlights

LA Lakers fan Arsenio Hall has been signed to star in a yet-to-be-named ABC comedy about a sportscaster and his wife.

Oh no! I can hear it now -- every time his character is talking about an athlete who is back from an injury, he'll say he's back "in the house". Look for Arsenio's buddy Magic Johnson to appear on the show. You can bet Magic will give him tips on playing a sportscaster.

Aside from a stint as an NBC Sports personality, Magic certainly has been interviewed by many sportscasters. The show, which ABC expects to broadcast later in the television season, perhaps as early as January, will be produced by Dreamworks studio.

This Tiger is Gr-r-reat!

If Tiger Woods is to golf what Michael Jordan is to basketball, isn't it surprising that the only producers who have called Tiger are talk, news and sport programs? It's not a matter of if the casting directors will call, it's when.

FYI -- I told you in this column that "Home Improvement" star Tim Allen would be racing in the Sports Car Club of America race in Reno, Nevada, Sept. 14-15. I talked with a spokesperson for his team who told me Tim has changed his plans and will race at Sears Point in Sonoma, Calif., on Oct. 1-2.